I was at Ibusa today. Today the eight day of
April, 2015. As an engineer to revive the injection substation. This is a smaller transmission station, let me call it a distribution station for delivering electricity to the environment. I went in the company of senior engineers working with BEDC.
To get to Ibusa, I had to go through Benin-Agbor road. Then Isselle-uku, Ubulu-uku and Ogwasi-uku. This is the 'Aniocha' region of Delta state.
I was told I was going to 'Ibuzor'. The way it sounded in my ears when the lead engineer briefed the team in the morning only to see Ibusa on a board showing the direction to the town.
'I know this name', I said to myself as I tried recollecting. I had read of the town in a book. I would remember some moments later. 'Joys of motherhood' and 'Second
Class citizen' written by Buchi Emecheta.
This is the town she wrote about. 'Wow', I said as I got out of the BEDC tagged Ford truck with Adeboye. I was happy to see it, smiling as I stepped my foot on the tarred road. It reminded me of grace, love, war, hatred and friendship.
I remembered Ifeyinwa and Joseph. Both from Ubulu-uku and Ogwahi-uku respectively. Ifeyinwa had mentioned her town's name five years ago while we worked at Momas
Systems Nigeria Limited and Joseph, while we did our master's degree at Obafemi
Awolowo University, Ile-Ife. He had told me a month ago that he was staying at Ogwashi-uku for the time. I dialled him hoping we would see before I returned to Benin. We spoke but could not meet.
I looked around the town of Ibusa, I thought of the war I had read about in half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Adichie, Gowon by Jerry Isiawa, Nzeogwu by Olusegun Obasanjo and There was a country by Chinua Achebe. I didn't think too far, not like I saw anything to that effect. It just comes to mind when I'm in the South-South or South-East part of the country.
We worked at the substation. I heard the town has been without electricity for about two years. I still find it hard to believe. I remember Joseph had said something related to that. The power is here, I'd say when next we talk.
I also saw Asaba for the first time today. Not
so far from Benin. About two to three hours drive I would say. Developed more than the other towns I had seen. Adeboye would call my attention some minutes after we passed a roundabout to a petrol station named 'No-Wayo petroleum'. We laughed. They probably were experiencing some 'wayo' before.
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